Lisa Raymond, Author at AC Component

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – 2022

Lisa Raymond on September 30, 2022

September 30, 2022 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. On this day we are called upon to honour the children who never returned home and the survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. It is also a day of action for non-Indigenous Canadians to learn about the culture of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples and to support Indigenous peoples.

Taking time to remember and reflect on this tragic and painful history and the ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. Many of us wonder what we can do to honour this day and how we as individuals can make a difference through action. Together we can do our part. The following is information provided by the Government of Canada on ways we can do just that.

Wear orange

Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30th.

Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family, and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

Learn about Residential Schools to honour the lost children, victims, and Survivors. And learn of the lasting and ongoing impacts on Indigenous peoples.

Learn about the Truth and Reconciliation Report and its 94 Calls to Action.

Follow discussions and learn about Indigenous peoples and culture from Indigenous led organizations.

Attend an Indigenous led event on September 30 and show your support.

Look online for a local event to attend in-person.

For those of you who would like to learn more, there are many educational opportunities available. The University of Alberta’s Indigenous Canada online course is a user friendly and very informative course.

This day is one step in the right direction for reconciliation and to reconcile in our minds and hearts the terrible past we share and to vow to establish and maintain a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country.

In Solidarity,

Your Component Diversity Committee

Coronavirus Update 48

Lisa Raymond on September 27, 2022

The Union was advised officially yesterday afternoon of the Government’s changes to the COVID-19 border and travel measures set for October 1, 2022. We have listed the full press release below, and want to assure you that all members will be able to wear at all times when you feel it necessary, and obtain through the company, proper PPE.

News release

September 26, 2022 | Ottawa, ON | Public Health Agency of Canada

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Government of Canada has taken a layered approach to border management to protect the health and safety of Canadians. As the pandemic situation has continued to evolve, adjustments to border measures have been informed by the latest evidence, available data, operational considerations, and the epidemiological situation, both in Canada and internationally. Today the Government of Canada announced the removal of all COVID-19 entry restrictions, as well as testing, quarantine, and isolation requirements for anyone entering Canada, effective October 1, 2022.

The removal of border measures has been facilitated by a number of factors, including modelling that indicates that Canada has largely passed the peak of the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 fuelled wave, Canada’s high vaccination rates, lower hospitalization and death rates, as well as the availability and use of vaccine boosters (including new bivalent formulation), rapid tests, and treatments for COVID-19.

Effective October 1, 2022, all travellers, regardless of citizenship, will no longer have to:

submit public health information through the ArriveCAN app or website;
provide proof of vaccination;
undergo pre- or on-arrival testing;
carry out COVID-19-related quarantine or isolation;
monitor and report if they develop signs or symptoms of COVID-19 upon arriving to Canada.

Transport Canada is also removing existing travel requirements. As of October 1, 2022, travellers will no longer be required to:

undergo health checks for travel on air and rail; or
wear masks on planes and trains.

Although the masking requirement is being lifted, all travellers are strongly recommended to wear high quality and well-fitted masks during their journeys.

Cruise measures are also being lifted, and travellers will no longer be required to have pre-board tests, be vaccinated, or use ArriveCAN. A set of guidelines will remain to protect passengers and crew, which will align with the approach used in the United States.

Individuals are reminded that they should not travel if they have symptoms of COVID-19. If travellers become sick while travelling, and are still sick when they arrive in Canada, they should inform a flight attendant, cruise staff, or a border services officer upon arrival. They may then be referred to a quarantine officer who will decide whether the traveller needs further medical assessment as COVID-19 remains one of many communicable diseases listed in the Quarantine Act.

The Government of Canada also reminds travellers to make informed decisions when considering travel outside of Canada to protect their health and safety. They are encouraged to review the travel advice at https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories for more information on safe travel.

Canadians can continue to do their part to protect themselves and others, and reduce the spread of COVID-19, by getting vaccinated and boosted, using high quality and well-fitted masks where appropriate, self-isolating if they have symptoms and self-testing if they can.

In Solidarity,

CHQ-22-79 – Special Authorization Process for the Submission of Prescription Claims

Lisa Raymond on September 23, 2022

The Union has filed a policy grievance (click HERE to view) on the Company’s imposition of the Special Authorization process for members who were submitting prescription claims through Claim Secure. We believe this process creates a burden on the membership. Members find themselves in a difficult position when they go to their pharmacy and are told the drug they require is not covered. This is a drug that was prescribed by their personal physician and is deemed to be required for their specific condition. After they are aware of this denial, members must then secure a second appointment with their physician to have them fill out the special authorization form. They must pay out of pocket again for this paperwork to be completed. Following this laborious process, they are advised that their claim is denied a second time. In our view this is not acceptable and is not aligned with the Collective Agreement language is Article 22 which states:

22.02 SUPPLEMENTAL HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN II: The Company will pay 100% of the Air Canada Supplementary Health Insurance Plan II.

We are looking for examples and scenarios to support our grievance and have created a survey to collect the information. Please CLICK HERE to access the survey:

We hope to hear from you and truly appreciate your assistance with this very important matter. Your participation and attention to this can go a long way to help us remedy the situation and ensure that the Collective Agreement language is respected.

In Solidarity,

Wesley Lesosky
President, Air Canada Component of CUPE

Health & Safety Information Sources

Lisa Raymond on September 22, 2022

A few years ago, we did a trial with email auto-responders to ensure that members had access to the latest bulletins concerning their health and safety 24/7 – even if they didn’t have access to fast data speeds. These remain in effect and have been expanded upon.

Send a blank message to the following addresses, and within a minute or so you’ll get a text-only version of the corresponding bulletin.

injury@accomponent.ca
What to do if you hurt yourself or get ill because of work

incident@accomponent.ca
Information for potentially traumatic incidents and layover safety

air@accomponent.ca
Information about onboard fume events

fatigue@accomponent.ca
Information about how to report fatigue

radiation@accomponent.ca
Information about how to access your cosmic radiation data

RTR@accomponent.ca
Information about the right to refuse dangerous work

temperature@accomponent.ca
Information about cabin and layover temperature

This is an additional tool to use but we also remain available to answer questions in person or by email.

In solidarity,

Your Air Canada Component of CUPE Health and Safety Committee

Component Trustee Vacancy Election – 2022

Lisa Raymond on September 21, 2022

The Air Canada Component Trustee Vacancy Election will commence at 09:00 am EDT on October 4, 2022 and close at 12:00 pm EDT on October 18, 2022.

The candidates running for the one (1) vacant Trustee position are:

Ana Selke
Bethania Valenzuela

IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: You will receive a letter by email, and by regular mail for those that did not opt out of physical mailings, directly from Simply Voting prior to the vote opening. This letter will contain a new Elector ID and Password, along with detailed instructions on how to vote online and by telephone.

You have the option of voting by web, or by phone, as per Component Bylaws. You will need your new Elector ID and Password to access the system.

Once you have submitted your vote, the Simply Voting system will issue a printable electronic receipt. If you are voting by phone, you can only access your electronic receipt by logging into the Simply Voting system online.

If you are experiencing difficulties registering your vote, please e-mail vote@accomponent.ca or call 1-877-411-3552, extension 254 or (416) 798-3399, extension 254. Please provide us with your name, employee number, phone number, e-mail address, and postal code. We will respond as quickly as possible during business hours (weekdays 9:00am – 4:00pm EDT), however, please allow us 1 business day to respond.

As the campaigning process begins, we ask that everyone click HERE to review the Election Guidelines. These guidelines pertain not only to the candidates, but to the entire membership.

In Solidarity,

Your Component Tabulating Committee

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – 2022

Coronavirus Update 48

CHQ-22-79 – Special Authorization Process for the Submission of Prescription Claims

Health & Safety Information Sources

Component Trustee Vacancy Election – 2022

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